Newly identified chemical in eye drop could clear up cataracts

Identified as a "priority eye disease" by the World Health Organization, cataracts--caused when the lenses of the eyes lose their transparency--affect more than 20 million people worldwide. Although cataracts can be successfully removed with surgery, this approach is expensive, and most individuals blinded by severe cataracts in developing countries go untreated.

Reported in Science, the newly identified compound is the first that is soluble enough to potentially form the basis of a practical eye-drop medication for cataracts.